KUCHING: The Sessions Court here fined a man RM17,000 for posting an offensive statement on Facebook that hurt the feelings of another man.
Sarulnizam Sintong Patar Simamora, 23, pleaded guilty before Judge Musli Abdul Hamid to a charge framed under Section 233(1)(a)(ii) of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998, which is punishable under Section 233(3) of the same Act.
If convicted, this charge carries a maximum fine of RM50,000 or up to one year in prison or both, and an additional RM1,000 fine for each day the offence is repeated after conviction.
Judge Musli also imposed a six-month prison sentence if Sarulnizam fails to pay the fine.
Based on the case brief, Sarulnizam used a Facebook account named ‘Hairul Ikmal’ to deliberately send offensive messages to the 26-year-old victim.
He committed the offence in a rented room in Jalan Bako, at around 5pm on May 6 last year.
The victim informed his friend that a photo of him and his family had been uploaded on Facebook by Sarulnizam using the ‘Hairul Ikmal’ account with the intention of humiliating the victim and his family.
A police report was made, leading to Sarulnizam’s arrest in a building in Metrocity, Jalan Matang at around 3.50pm on June 25 last year.
Forensic reports confirmed that the two smartphones were used by Sarulnizam to post malicious statements to hurt the victim.
Deputy public prosecutor Norshafatihah Nor Azmi prosecuted the case while Sarulnizam was not represented by legal counsel.
